Collapsible shipping case



Jan. s 1924. 1,479,880

G. w. STITZER COLLAPSIBLE SHIPPING CASE Filed March 16. 1921 v F q, JJ aea 'azasf a" Patented Jan. 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,479,880 P N F -1 GEORGE w. s'rITzER, or MAHANOY CITY, PENNsYLVAiNIAQ i I COLLAPSIBLE SHIPPING CASE. 7

Application filed March 16, 1921. serial No. 452,890.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. S'rrrznn', a citizen of the United States, residing at Mahanoy City, in the county of Schuylkill, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Shipping Cases; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of'the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the Same.

The object of the invention is to provide a comparatively simple shippingcase of the collapsible type wherein the several elements representing respectively the top, bottom, side and end'walls may be disconnected and stacked in parallel relation for return ship ment or transportation in compact bundles or packages to minimize freight costs; and at the same time to provide a receptacle for the purpose and'having the general charactistics indicated wherein, when set up, there is provided a container sufliciently rigid to adapt it to contain relatively heavy'articles and withstand the rough usage to which such packages are subjected in freight and express handling, and particularly whereby the corners or joints are reinforced to guard against relative angular displacement of the adjoining walls; and with these and related and subordinate objects in View, the invention consists in the construction, combination and relation of parts of which a preferred embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of a case embodying the invention, set up and closed ready for transportation.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional View on the plane indicated by the line 83 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail vertical sectional view through one of the side bottom joints on the plane indicated by the line 1-4 of Figure 3.

Figure-5 is a detail view in perspective of the bottom member.

The case consists essentially of the top and bottom members 101' and 11, which are substantially similar in contour and construction and are identical exteriorly, the side members 12 and the end members or walls 13. The bottom member is provided parallel with its side edges and preferably set back somewhat therefromgwith cross sectionally dove-tail or undercut guides 14 for the reception slidingly of cross-sectionally wedge-shaped or dove-tail w'ebs15 "on the lower edges of 'theside walls,'"said Webs being insertible ateither end of the guides or grooves, and the side walls are provided adjacent to "their vertical end edges with similar guid'esor grooves 16, also undercut shaped webs 17 on the side edges of the end or dove-tail in cross section, for the reception of the dove-tail or cross sectionally wedge walls, said side and endfwalls being pro Vided at their upper edges with outwardly turned flanges o'r' lips 12 and 13 respectively.

In assembling the case, the Side andflend walls may firs't beslidinglyinterlockedby the fitting of the webs on the sideedges of the end walls into the undercut or dove tail guides or grooves 16'ofthe' sidewalls, after which the bottom wall or member may be slidingly fitted to the loweredge ,ofjthe side walls by the engagement. of the guides or side walls, and to serve as a stop for tlie' movement of the bottom member and at the same time close the joints between the lower edges of the end walls and the plane of the upper or inner surface of the bottom member, flanges 18 are carried by the upper '80 grooves 14 thereof with the webs 15 of said surface of the latter, these stop webs being arranged for contact with corresponding surfaces of the end walls, as for example, the inner surface of one end Wall and the outer surface of the other end wall as shown clearly in Figure 2.

The top and bottom members of the case are preferably provided with marginal exterior reinforcements 10 and '11 having countersunk registering openings 19- at the sides and ends of the case and exteriorly of the side and end walls thereof, for the re ception of tie bolts 20 of which the heads and bolts are fitted respectively in said countersinks, and preferably these countersunk openings are further reinforced by wear plates 21 to provide for constructing the case, when desired, of wood or heavy cardboard or other like material not having the tensile strength of metal. The tie or retaining bolts preferably extend through registering openings 22 in the flanges or lips formed at the upper edges of the side and end walls.

It will be obvious from the foregoing description that upon ,the loosening and re moval of, the tie; L d1; retaining bolts the & sev eral members or elements of the crate may be readily disengaged to adapt them to be folded in parallelism in compact form for packaging and return shipment, and,that., when set up the peculiar construction of the interlocking complemental elements by which the edges of the end and side walls re111iq ntedi mie ret Qn t dtre pe iv r it e het t qmwmemhe ge rigid true ure is, e fsq fldqwhi hm i i r ad ly. withsta d the i 'Qugh s ge qc ich s chspaek ges-i e. idmeni x subjec d in an pQ -at om W a imeslt sa A11 lap ible 5 hinning ca e avi e lmte let p an ottomi embe sw n -is des nd1- id;, a- 1s enga ed J y 'iding ove m th a ii p nd. bo m mem e s be n extendedgbeyond the plane of; thetside L and end ;wa lls; and provided with marginal; t; teri e nfo ce ents i av nggl gist ning.-: nsi ts ink 1: e hegs, .v mde ninah0 ts elted t inv t e: pen ng and; vi g their opposite ends secured within the couniESii ks i'the1b tm qmemb eing r her PFQ dQd-viihi an ve s e-9:: e s o iss i Q Q t Wi -hth ilw e ges t heend W ls- 2.;1A collapsible shipping, case having I pa ab e pendmmembers an s me d s, th s de srbe ng e gage ith 't e b tom mbe bvhor zon liden im y m nta t e-e d Wells; ng ns gaged: with the side .walls by vertical slid member being; provided, u adjacent its side" ges w haparallel guid sfQr the-reception of vthe side walls )by horizontal slidinge mQYernent the ,said side, walls being pro vided adjacent; to their vertical edges withi similar guidefs for themrecept-ionof the end 1 walls; by, "vertical sliding movement, ;the said bottom member being ,;further provided with;

transverse stop webs arranged :to, contact ith t egl wenedges. oft ie e dwalls thee top and botto n Lme nbersbeing eXtendedv bergyond the plane ofithe; sideandend walls and; Y PrQVided vvith mar-g1n a1 1 exteriorreinforce:-

ments; having registering openings andqie taining bolts 1 inserted 1 within, r the openingsnd se u ed t erein I vt till may where f, I" flifxymy E gIia-E- ture the presence of two ,wi-tnesses;

STITZER. Witnesses a AN A SEAGERQ 1) H. 1L1 0me 

